


Growing Pains

by HermioneGranger1960



Category: Good Girls (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fairly Fluffy, arguing ensues, beth and rio go shopping, domestic!Brio, navigating a generally new relationship, relationship revelations happen in the cereal aisle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-29
Updated: 2019-09-29
Packaged: 2020-11-01 08:31:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20812148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HermioneGranger1960/pseuds/HermioneGranger1960
Summary: “I didn’t think you were one for labels.” Beth admitted ignoring his snark over her cereal and adjusting her hands on the handle of the cart.“Makes two of us.” He smirked at her, just a flash of teeth before he was suddenly serious, his voice warm. “Partners, sweetheart, in every sense of the word. I don’t do labels, but I find myself doin’ a lot of stuff with you I wouldn’t normally do.”





	Growing Pains

**Author's Note:**

> Tumblr prompt: I’ve never sent in a prompt for anything so idk if this is right but maybe Beth and Rio do something “normal” couples do such as grocery shopping after they’ve moved in together and trying to figure out what everyone likes and arguing about the things each other likes and who’s gonna pay for all of it or how they’re gonna spilt the bill.
> 
> So this kinds of went off the rails a little and turned more into Beth and Rio defining their relationship.
> 
> Username: medievaldarling
> 
> Stop by and say hello!

Beth chewed her lip nervously, darting a glance to Rio sitting in the driver’s seat of his expensive car, one hand on the wheel. She could feel the beginnings of regret even now, and they hadn’t even made it to the store yet.

She’d called in to tell the dealership that she wasn’t going to be there that day because she was feeling under the weather, but in truth, Beth needed a day to get her house in order: literal order. The chaos and mess was to a degree that she needed an entire day to set things right, working on how she was going to tell the kids that they needed to start being responsible for picking up after themselves.

She had just grabbed her purse and shopping list when Rio walked through the front door.

“You off today?” he asked, tossing his keys on the small table she kept near the front door and pressing a quick kiss to her cheek in greeting.

“I’m actually just leaving.” Beth pulled her bag on, checking again that her list was folded neatly inside. Last week she’d been so worried about work, she’d left it sitting on the counter and had to drive all the way home because she couldn’t remember for the life of her what she needed.

“Where to?”

“Food shopping. The cabinets are horrifyingly empty and I don’t have anything for dinner.”

“Hang on. Let me grab somethin’ to drink.” He slid past her, brushing her waist and heading towards the kitchen. Beth paused at his tone.

“You’re coming?”

“Yeah, mama.” He called from the kitchen as she heard the refrigerator door open, knowing he was digging for a water bottle. “My meetin’ ended early so I got the rest of the night off.”

He appeared at the end of the hall, twisting off the cap off the bottle in order to take a large swig.

“Just to be clear,” Beth reiterated as she forced herself to ignore the way his throat moved as he swallowed. “You want to come grocery shopping with me.”

“You hit your head or somethin’? You gotta have everythin’ said twice?”

And Beth just stared at him. Dean had never – not once –offered to do the shopping, let alone come with her in their entire relationship. Even now she still got texts from him asking what type of shampoo she got him or what brand of deli meat did she use to make his lunch. It frustrated her that Dean never understood what it was like bringing anywhere from one to four kids with her, all bouncing through the aisles while she kept one eye on them and the other on what she was doing. And he never knew how she’d have to lock herself in her room for an hour just to center herself, how she struggled to recuperate somewhat in order to make dinner later. And if he did know, he never really cared.

She didn’t mind the shopping itself. In fact, she loved to go alone. She’d drive slow with the music blasting, relishing the emptiness of her car and the fact that she didn’t have to play a role – not of wife, not of mother, just plain Beth. It was just her and her stereo. She shopped slowly too, taking her time to read labels, read recipes on the back of boxes, think about what she’d do when she got home and if she could somehow work in a little personal time where she could just _exist_ without someone looking for her and asking for something. She found it soothing to just be a nameless face in the crowd of other shoppers. Sometimes she’d drive clear across town just to guarantee she wouldn’t run into anyone she knew.

“You with me, ma?” Rio asked, yanking her from her drifting thoughts.

“Yes, sorry,” Beth tucked a stray curl behind her ear. “Just lost in thought.”

Silently they headed towards his car. The interior was still cool from his blasting AC, chasing away the heat of the beating sun. Rio turned the radio station to something they could both agree on – not his hip music, and not her ‘granny songs’, as he so vividly put it one time when they’d argued about it. And Beth was forced to remind herself yet again that Rio was nothing like Dean. It was a knee-jerk reaction to compare Rio and Dean. When she was young, she thought Dean was the whole package. It took her twenty years and a gang banger flipping her existence upside down to realize that she had no idea what she’d been missing.

Dean was never very good at compromising, she thought as Rio smoothly backed out of the driveway. It was his way or no way. And if, on the off chance, he gave her what she wanted, he never failed to remind her just how poor a choice she made. She could still remember him complaining about something as miniscule as the floss she’d gotten him. It was on sale, and when she’d given it to him he’d been annoyed that it wasn’t what he usually used.

“It’s floss – how different could it be?” Beth responded, hastily shoving her melting ice cream in the freezer, though it had already started dripping on her counter. 

He used the floss – all of it – because each time he did it gave him the opportunity to tell her how subpar it was. She’d never gotten it again.

And there was Rio, putting on a station that they both liked (she more than he, she knew that), without a word, without a threat, without making her feel like it was her fault he didn’t like it. Beth turned her gaze towards the window so he couldn’t see her emotions written clear as day across her face. He was annoyingly good at knowing exactly what she was thinking with just a glance.

As they neared the store, Beth tightened her hold on her bag. Would he be aggravated that she took so long to shop? Would it bother him that she liked to comparison shop and it sometimes took her over five minutes to decide which brand of orange juice she wanted?

When the car was parked, Beth snatched the first cart she could and headed towards the doors.

“You in a rush?” Rio asked, his long legs able to keep pace with her. “Didn’t know we were on _Supermarket Sweep_.”

“It’s late and I have to start dinner before the kids get home. I was thinking about running to the dealership to pick up some paperwork that I’m sure is pouring off my desk. Also, I’m very curious about your knowledge of _Supermarket Sweep_.” She shot him a quick smile as she pulled to a stop to grab an antiseptic wipe the supermarket provided.

“My abuela watched it all the time.” Rio gave her a boyish smile.

She quickly wiped her hands and then wiped down the handle of the cart, tossing the wipe away when she was finished. Rio had grabbed the cart, and almost as if he could sense her protest coming, he shot her a look that indicated there was no argument to be had.

“I got it, ma.”

And she hoped that she wouldn’t have to bring up that she was so used to doing everything – _everything _– on her own and that for her, it was hard to relinquish that control even when there was someone there to take the load for a while if she couldn’t hold it anymore. Beth knew that Rio understood that because the man notoriously saw more than he let on. Hell, their worlds collided when she had to take financial matters in to her own hands after her husband just about ruined them. That panic and the levels in which she had to stoop made her wary of surrendering any control that she’d fought so hard for. Beth would not leave her fate in the hands of another again. She’d not be blindsided. She’d not be forced to pick up the pieces again. She wanted to be with Rio, but she’d not depend wholly on him like she did with Dean. Beth knew that fear kept her from letting him do things for her, even small things. If she let him do one thing, it would lead to another and another, and soon she was right where she started.

Beth shook off her thoughts and headed towards the cereal first, thinking of the kids. They always wanted sugary crap that was more candy than cereal, but Beth wanted them to eat as healthy as possible, knowing that Dean resorted to fast food more often than not when he had them. Still, she got one box of the garbage cereal that she’d give to them on Fridays as a treat in addition to the first box that boasted about health benefits. She hadn’t noticed that Rio had stepped away until he returned, dumping a third box into the mix.

It was the organic cereal she liked, the kind with just a bit of cinnamon. The cereal she splurged on rarely and only when she had a rough week because it was ridiculously expensive.

“Rio.” Beth warned, reaching into the cart to extract the box, but his hand caught hers, thin yet strong fingers wrapping around her wrist.

“You ran out two weeks ago.” He stated. “You gettin’ them two boxes and nothin’ for yourself.”

“I’m not paying that much for cereal.” Beth protested, going to tug her hand away but he held tight.

“I’m payin’.”

“No.”

Rio huffed, dropping her hand and scrubbing his hand over his mouth. Beth could see the tension in his jaw.

“We gonna do this every time?” Rio questioned, bracing his hands on the end of the cart as his burning eyes scrutinized every muscle twitch of her face. “We gonna argue about money every time I wanna pay for somethin’?”

“I’m not having this discussion in the middle of the cereal aisle.” Beth hissed, her grip tightening on the handle of the shopping cart, hyper aware of the fact that they were surrounded by people.

“50/50, sweetheart. That’s what you wanted. This here is a partnership. Means we both contribute.”

Beth clocked the old woman walking into their aisle before she quickly turned and scurried away. They weren’t yelling, but it was clear that there was an intense albeit slightly angry conversation going on. She felt the flush creeping up her chest.

“I’ll pay for my stuff.” Beth offered in an attempt to diffuse the situation.

“Nah,” he immediately shook his head with a smirk that didn’t touch his eyes. “We roommates or we datin’?”

Beth bit the inside of her cheek because this is what it came down to, what had been gnawing at her for weeks now, ever since they’d come to the conclusion that what they were went beyond sex. She hadn’t wanted to bring the conversation up, fearing that he’d think she was trying to lock him down so soon after her divorce. “You’re not forcin’ me into your cookie cutter Betty Crocker life.” He’d snapped at her once during an argument. So Elizabeth had let things slide, letting him choose the depth and pace of their relationship. And it was because of their decision to try things out that Beth learned Rio never worked in half measures – it was all or nothing.

“Are we?” she asked, keeping her eyes on him even though she could feel her face getting hot. Beth was never good at discussing these things, but she tried with Rio, afraid of falling in the same pattern as she had with Dean where she brushed so much under the run that there was nothing to salvage.

“Are we what?” he replied, though she knew he understood exactly what she was asking. He just wanted her to say it.

“Are we dating?”

“I don’t know, ma. We’re drawin’ papers for a new place, I’m in your bed more than I’m outta it, we spend time with each other’s kids, and I’m arguin’ with you over some organic overpriced cardboard you won’t get for yourself. What’d you think?”

“I didn’t think you were one for labels.” Beth admitted ignoring his snark over her cereal and adjusting her hands on the handle of the cart.

“Makes two of us.” He smirked at her, just a flash of teeth before he was suddenly serious, his voice warm. “Partners, sweetheart, in every sense of the word. I don’t do labels, but I find myself doin’ a lot of stuff with you I wouldn’t normally do.”

Beth swallowed thickly, feeling the warmth in the pit of her stomach reaching up and blooming in her chest. She wanted to wrap herself around him but felt the familiar hesitancy when it came to physical affection, especially in public. Rio seemed to sense this because he smiled at her like he did in their bedroom – molten heat that never failed to kick her heartrate up. Rio shoved the cart gently out of the way, stepping forward and pressing his hand to the small of her back in order to draw her against him. Beth dropped her forehead to his chest, breathing deeply, winding her arms around his small yet sturdy waist. She always felt like a skittish animal around him, never quite knowing what she was going to get each time he walked in the door. Sometimes he was cold and standoffish, lashing out because something had gone wrong at work –something he’d gruffly apologize for a few days later when he was calmed. Other times, he was warm and soft. It kept her on her toes.

There was more to be said, more to be hammered out between them, but the grocery store wasn’t exactly the place to do so. She found it ironic that the place she received the most clarity about what they were was the place that their journey had started. She huffed a laugh against the fabric of his button-down shirt.

“Somethin’ funny?”

“Grocery stores seem to be a thing for us, don’t they?” Beth pulled away to peer up at him, watching a soft smile spread across his face.

Rio pressed a hard kiss to her mouth before breaking away and moving to retrieve the cart, standing the box of cereal he grabbed for her alongside the other two in the cart. And all over again, Beth was struck by the way he was with her. Just looking at him, you wouldn’t expect him to be nurturing and supportive of his partner – hell – you wouldn’t even expect him to have a single woman in his life, but rather a revolving door of women who were at his beck and call.

“You keep lookin’ at me like that, I’ll make this store a thing like you made that bathroom break a thing.” His husky voice partnered dangerously with his hot gaze that he made sure to deliberately drag up her body.

Beth rolled her eyes, her face burning, as she turned and moved on, her heart lighter than it had been in the car. They continued to shop and continued to argue about more than half of what she grabbed. For them it was a fairly decent average.

It was the fruit snacks that finally broke him, causing him to eventually throw his hands up in the air in defeat.

“I’m tryin’ to help you, sweetheart. That brand is shit.” He gestured to the fruit snacks she’d grabbed.

“Does Marcus like fruit snacks?” Beth ignored his comment, tired of arguing. At the rate they were going, they might be done by the next century.

“Don’t matter – he ain’t eatin’ solids right now.”

She was thrown by the panic that flashed through her. Beth had come to care for Marcus in a shockingly short amount of time and had started counting him as part of her general reference to ‘the kids’ almost immediately after her and Rio had decided to give whatever this was between them a go. She cared for him, just as Rio cared for her children like they were his own. Marcus wasn’t hers…but he wasn’t _not_ hers either. She loved him like her own and knew how Rio’s entire life centered around Marcus and his happiness.

Beth immediately turned, a knot lodged in her throat. Rio shrugged a shoulder nonchalantly.

“It’s nothin’. He’s gotta loose tooth that’s been drivin’ him crazy. Maya said he won’t put anythin’ in his mouth that can’t fit through a straw. Part of me thinks it’s an excuse to drink milkshakes all the time.”

Beth had met his ex, Maya, once. She seemed kind, and Beth was immediately intimidated by her beauty. Long legs, long dark hair, dark eyes. Maya needed to drop Marcus off early because her mother was in the hospital. She’d apologized profusely as she handed Marcus’ bags over.

“It’s no problem,” Beth had assured her, grabbing her hand to stop her flailing apology as Marcus blew past her in an effort to find Kenny. “Just go and take care of your mother. I’ll call and let Rio know what’s going on. Let us know if you need anything.”

Maya had hugged her then, shocking Beth, before she darted back down the steps, worry etched across her face. (It was one of the first days that she referred to her and Rio as a unit without having to think about it, so it stuck with her).

“We should get ice cream for him,” Beth offered. “That should help the pain for a little while, at least.” Beth thought about getting him medicated toothache cream, but the taste was horrendous and she knew that he’d never take it beyond that first time.

“Kid isn’t gonna have a tooth left in his damn mouth if he keeps this up,” Rio steered the cart around a corner, heading towards the freezer section. “He just spit one out at the dinner table two weeks ago.”

Beth snorted as she recalled the story of how all the kids under six had screamed when Marcus announced proudly that his tooth had come out, holding it up for all to see, sending the table into chaos as the adults tried to gain control over the situation. Rio said he’d never seen so many simultaneous meltdowns in his life as all the children had somehow convinced themselves that loosing teeth was contagious and they were next.

He was telling her that Marcus was going to be with him next week, that he’d like to bring him over because he knows Jane and Emma have been asking for him nonstop, when Beth saw him grab a few tubs of ice cream, stacking them neatly, and she knows the first one he got was for her – mint chocolate chip. And on a purely basic level she understands that it’s silly to feel emotional about a tub of ice cream, a box of cereal, but she does. He hadn’t even stopped talking as he absently grabbed it, as if she’s so much a part of his life that it’s natural for him to shop with her in mind. And that, that touches her most of all.

Beth gives answers when he looks for them, but she shops in relative silence after that, thinking about him – them. They’d never said ‘I love you’, and Beth certainly didn’t expect to hear it from him, but she could see it in his actions, and for her, that mattered more than pretty words. It was in the way he got her favorite (expensive) cereal. It was in the way he helped Kenny with his homework, the way he tried to draw Danny out of his shell. It was how he sat on the couch, attentively watching Emma practice her latest dance because she was dying to show him, or how he held Jane when she fell asleep during a family movie.

When they checked out, she let Rio muscle his way in front of her to pay (she’d argue about it later).

“You okay?” he asked as they headed towards the car.

Beth smiled as they pulled to a stop behind his car, the trunk popping open with a click. She reached up, snagging the collar of his shirt, pulling him down as she pushed up on her toes to press her lips to his. Beth felt his hesitancy – she rarely initiated physical contact, especially of an intimate nature – something that she was still rediscovering after Dean. Her parents had never been big on affection, and her desire to touch Dean in any sort of way just about died after Emma was born.

Rio melted against her, his large hands holding her close to his body in a way that wasn’t exactly appropriate in a public setting. When they parted, she found him hungrily watching her and if they weren’t in a busy parking lot, Beth was somehow sure he’d be ushering her into the backseat of his fancy car. Rio never had a problem with touching her or her responses when he did, but when she took the initiative, something always seemed to give in him. Beth felt powerful being able to draw that response out of someone who was always so carefully controlled.

“When is car man comin’?” Rio asked as he unlocked the front door when the returned home, letting her step into the house before him.

“He should be here by four – theoretically.” Beth answered, noting the carefully restrained tone he used as she entered the kitchen and dumped the bags on the island with a sigh.

“Hmm.”

Beth paused, turning to look at him with a raised brow. It was then that she registered the heat in his eyes.

“We have to put the groceries away.” Beth warned as he bit down on his bottom lip, clearly undressing her in his mind.

Without a word Rio threw open the refrigerator doors, grabbing all the bags and shoving them onto the first shelf, knocking over bottles and containers of leftovers she’d carefully stacked.

“What the hell?” Beth protested at the mess. “Half of that stuff goes in the closet!” she watched as the cereal boxes were stuffed haphazardly beside the leftover spaghetti she was planning to toss that night.

“Don’t care.” He roughly responded, slamming the doors closed and turning to her. “We got two hours before we have kids in and outta this house for the next week, and I ain’t wastin’ it.”

Beth’s last thought was that they’d be ordering pizza that night: there was no way dinner would be cooked in time.


End file.
